Italy's Meloni applies to register her voice as an EU trademark, records show

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has applied to the European Union's intellectual property office to register her voice as a trademark. EU office records showed the application on Monday, 5 October 2026, according to Reuters and Daily Sabah.

Reuters describes the application as a move to protect Meloni against AI-generated deepfakes. Daily Sabah says it is an effort to guard against unauthorized use of her voice in such deepfakes.

Details of the filing

According to Reuters, the application was filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Daily Sabah refers to an "EU agency" and the "EU office" without naming the EUIPO.

According to Daily Sabah, the EU office's records show that the application includes a four-second audio recording. In it, Meloni says in Italian, "Io sono Giorgia Meloni" ("I am Giorgia Meloni"). Daily Sabah says the Italian daily La Repubblica first reported the filing. It also says an Italian official confirmed the filing on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.

The phrase echoes a 2019 rally declaration by Meloni, according to Daily Sabah: "I am Giorgia, I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am Christian." "Io sono Giorgia" was also the title of her 2021 autobiography.

Daily Sabah cited Italian media as reporting that approval would not automatically prevent AI-generated imitations of her voice. However, a trademark could provide an additional legal tool against unauthorized use.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an on-the-record statement from Meloni or her office about the application. They do not state when it was filed, who is listed as the applicant, or what scope of protection is sought.

What each side says

Daily Sabah quoted Meloni as saying that deepfakes can "deceive, manipulate and harm anyone". She urged users to verify online content before sharing it. The outlet does not specify when she made this warning. In May, after fake images of her surfaced online, Meloni said, "I can defend myself, but many others cannot," according to Daily Sabah.

Context

Manipulated images of Meloni have repeatedly circulated online in recent years, at times passed off as authentic, according to Daily Sabah. In 2024 she began a separate legal action against a man accused of creating and posting deepfake pornographic images using her likeness. That case remains pending before an Italian court, the outlet reported.

Daily Sabah also cited other cases. Last week, a court in Japan granted legal protection to the human voice for the first time. The case involved an anime voice actor and an AI clone of his voice. Actor Matthew McConaughey was among the first major celebrities to use trademark registrations for voice clips. Actress Scarlett Johansson objected to an OpenAI chatbot voice she said sounded "eerily similar" to her own. OpenAI denied intentionally imitating her voice and later withdrew the feature, according to Daily Sabah.

Analysis

The application places a serving head of government among public figures testing whether intellectual property law can address AI voice cloning. Its practical effect is uncertain. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe the EUIPO's review process, timeline or likelihood of approval. They include no independent legal assessment of how well a voice trademark works against deepfakes. If approved, the trademark could add one legal option alongside existing remedies, such as the court case Meloni is already pursuing. If rejected or narrowly scoped, it may indicate limits of trademark law in this area. Either outcome could inform wider debates on rules for digital replicas.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.